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Mike D & Ad-Rock Issue Open Letter to GoldieBlox

Brooklyn hip hop legends Beastie Boys issued a statement today in light of their feud with the toy company GoldieBlox. The group accused the toy company of copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of their 1987 hit, “Girls” in their latest viral video campaign. GoldieBlox responded by filing a lawsuit against the hip hop group, their record label, producer Rick Rubin and band member Adam Horovitz. The Hollywood Reporter broke the story.

GoldieBlox may run into further legal issues, as Rolling Stone points out, because deceased Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch specified in his will that none of his music can be used in advertisements following his death.

Today, Mike D & Ad-Rock issued this statement clearing the air about their involvement with the case:

Like many of the millions of people who have seen your toy commercial “GoldieBlox, Rube Goldberg & the Beastie Boys,” we were very impressed by the creativity and the message behind your ad. We strongly support empowering young girls, breaking down gender stereotypes and igniting a passion for technology and engineering.

As creative as it is, make no mistake, your video is an advertisement that is designed to sell a product, and long ago, we made a conscious decision not to permit our music and/or name to be used in product ads. When we tried to simply ask how and why our song “Girls” had been used in your ad without our permission, YOU sued US.

UPDATE: Radiohead’s Thom Yorke tweeted this in support of Beastie Boys.

I support the beasties here> I would be v upset too.!...OPEN LETTER FROM BEASTIE BOYS' MIKE D & ADROCK TO GOLDIEBLOX http://t.co/gCyd8WKqIs”